Human Smugglers Abandon Illegal Aliens – 3 Dead, 1 Rescued

Border Patrol agents assigned to the Falfurrias Station saved the life of one illegal alien who was abandoned by his human smugglers and left to die. Three others were not as lucky after succumbing to the harsh conditions in the ranch fields located about 80 miles north of the Texas-Mexico border.

Agents received notification of an illegal alien in distress after a rescue beacon was set off on one of the ranches in Brooks County on Friday morning. Agents responded to the area and found the illegal immigrant who was suffering from dehydration, information obtained by Breitbart Texas from U.S. Customs and Border Protection revealed. The illegal alien (no information was provided regarding nationality, gender or age) was transported to Christus Spohn Hospital in Corpus Christi and will be processed by the Border Patrol after being released following treatment.

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“These human smugglers are heartless,” Brooks County Sheriff-Elect Benny Martinez told Breitbart Texas on Saturday. “They take money from these immigrants and then abandon them if they get injured or can’t keep up. It is very dangerous out there and people often die as a result.” Martinez recently won a primary runoff election and does not face an opponent in the November general election, Breitbart Texas’ Bob Price previously reported.

The bodies of three more illegal immigrants who were abandoned by their human smugglers were found Friday in Brooks and neighboring Kenedy Counties. Both counties have a Border Patrol checkpoint located on the main highways leading from the border. The human smugglers put their human cargo out onto the ranches to march around the checkpoints. Often times it results in a three or four day hike where the immigrants are ill-prepared for the hazards they face.

“Many illegal immigrants smuggled into the United States are unaware of the extreme danger they face in regard to harsh environmental conditions. They also do not realize that they must walk for several days with very little, if any, food and water,” Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Manuel Padilla Jr. said in the statement obtained by Breitbart Texas.

The death toll in what has become known as the “Killing Fields of Brooks County” has climbed to more than twenty as the heat of the South Texas summer is about to begin. Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on the deaths in Brooks County and the efforts by local law enforcement and the Border Patrol to stop, or at least reduce, the number of fatalities. Last month alone, three more bodies were found in Brooks County.

Martinez told Breitbart Texas that the efforts of his department, the State of Texas, and the U.S. Border Patrol are paying off in terms of reducing the numbers of death and increasing the numbers of illegal aliens captured while they are being smuggled through the county.

“Fortunately, because of the efforts of our deputies, the Border Patrol’s presence, help from the State of Texas with Texas Rangers, Department of Public Safety Troopers, and members of the Texas State Guard, the number of deaths this year is lower,” Brooks County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Benny Martinez told Breitbart Texas during a May interview.

Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby and Associate Editor Bob Price reported in April about the brutal conditions the illegal aliens are exposed to as a result of our nation’s open border policies. “Many of the most caring people in the U.S. think they are helping the poor from Latin America by leaving our Southwest border wide-open between ports-of-entry, but they are not,” they wrote.

The article focused on the harsh treatment of those being smuggled through the border region to Texas’ largest cities where women are often raped, immigrants are held for ransom, and they are left to die in ranch fields where they cannot keep up with their group.

“The heat of the summer is rapidly approaching,” Martinez told Breitbart Texas. “The numbers of people moving through the area are increasing again and I am concerned that more will die unless we can get more resources to help.”

Lana Shadwick is a writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. She has served as a prosecutor and associate judge in Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2